Thanlyn & Kyauktan: Yele Paya, the floating temple

We passed a busy and crowded street before reaching the jetty where the boat tickets to the floating temple are sold. The attendant was kind to point out that the fare advertised was for the entire boat ride irrespective of the number of passengers and returned us the extra money. Like most of the time during our trip, we were the only tourists around. We were asked to wait for the tourist boats, which have been specially installed with chairs and a shelter while the ones the local take are open-roofed boats and they sat on wooden planks, much like the ones we have at the Kampung Ayer.

It was an extremely hot and sunny day. I found the white cement floors of the temple glaring to the eyes. I found myself searching for strategic shaded areas to admire the temple and take pictures. In the middle of the temple is a gold building with many buddha statues.

At the back of the temple lies a village of stilt houses on water (water village or floating village), just like the ones in Kampung Ayer! Stilt houses on water is pretty common in South East Asia as observed in Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and back home here in Brunei.


Busy street


Block of shops along a dirt road; A lady is carrying a basket on her head


A shop selling plasticware


People in a Burmese wooden boat


Yele Paya


Wooden boats parked at the pier


People alighting from the boat


Water village or floating village


Golden pagoda


Golden buddha statue in one of the temple buildings


Temple grounds


Buddha statue on the side of the pagoda


Statue of a lion with a human head


Figurines in the roof designs


Looking out from a pavilion


Pavilion with nicely carved, wooden ceilings


Waiting for the boat to get back


Boatman driving the boat away from Yele Paya


Flag of Myanmar waving as we approached the pier